Fluffy glider
The yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis ), also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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GlidingGliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Yellow-bellied glider is the least studied and least known of its family. It is amongst the largest gliding possums of Australia, the loudest, and the best glider. They have a distinctive very long thickly furred mostly black tail and for this reason are sometimes called ‘fluffy gliders’. A lightly furred flap of skin or patagium connects its front and back limbs; this is used for gliding. Males and females are similar in appearance, though males grow a visible scent gland on their heads and females generally have longer tails.
Yellow-bellied gliders lives in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland down to Victoria. They inhabit open foothill forest, woodland and wet eucalypt forest. In eastern Australia they inhabit only tall, mature eucalypt forests where there is high rainfall, in temperate to subtropical climates. In northern Queensland the population occurs in forests with lower temperatures at high altitudes. The larger populations live in coastal and foothill woodland and forest, with smaller populations in wet eucalypt forests.
The Yellow-bellied glider is a very active, arboreal, nocturnal glider. Being amongst the most vocal of marsupial species, it has a range of calls including loud distinctive shrieks, soft moans and gurgling chatters. It is a territorial animal and so is aggressive to intruders that are the same species. In the daytime they shelter in den trees, typically very large rose gums with hollows big enough to accommodate groups of families, as they live in groups of 2-6 family members: one male with one or two females together with their offspring. Each group has a home range which is about 25 -120 ha. They may travel as far as one kilometer from their den to the feeding trees.
The Yellow-bellied glider eats mostly nectar, pollen, and sap from eucalypts, and they also feed on insects, grubs, and arachnids and possibly small vertebrates.
A Yellow-bellied glider will pair up with another glider, usually in a monogamous relationship, and live in a single family group, although polygamous groups (in which one male mates with multiple females) also occur. Mating is from August to December in Victoria, while in Queensland it is throughout the year. Births are usually from May to September. Generally a single young is born, sometimes twins. Young are carried in their mother's pouch for around 100 days, then are left in a nest for 60 more days. Both male and female look after the young, and they become independent from 18 to 24 months and sexually mature at about 2 years old.
The main threats to this species are the following: the loss of habitat due to rainforest destruction, thought to be the primary one, with changed fire regimes the main reason for this destruction, and long-term climate change contributing to this. There is also clearing and fragmentation of their habitats. Timber harvesting and grazing by cattle also modify their habitat and have an impact. Barbed wire fences cause entanglement, injury, and death.
No estimate of population size is available for this species. According to the IUCN Red List resource, the number of mature individuals is between 50,000 and 500,000 individuals. Currently this species is classified as near threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers continue to decrease.
The Yellow-bellied glider has an important ecological function due to its role supporting a ‘sap-feeding guild’ and possibly as a pollinator.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...